Chicken-feeder.



Y C. H. FELKER.

CHICKEN FEEDER. APPLHIATION FILED SEPT. 1 l. 1916.

Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

,l'izventor Cum-Z65 H FeZker' UNITED sTATEs PATE T OFFICE.

CHARLES" H. FELKER, or WOLLAS'ION,MASSACHUSETTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, CHARLES H. Fnnnnn, a citizen lofthe United States,residing at Wollaston, State of Massachusetts county' of Norfolk, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvementsin Chicken-Feeders, of whichthe followingisa specification.

This invention relates to chickenfeeders ofw thertype, wherein a troughadapted to contain the food and a cover having a plun rality of foodopenings are detachably connected to each other.

The object of my invention, generally stated,- is toimprove and simplifythe constructionof devices of. this "character. This object, togetherwith certain other features ofadvantagesgwhich will appear more fully:

hereinafter, is secured in the device of the present invention.

A preferred form of the invention is described in the followingspecification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, Wherein eFigure l is a perspective view of the feeder. v

Fig. 2 isa view of the detached pan or trough w r x. 1 Fig. v3 is aperspective view of the detached cover.

. Fig. pl i wtef t b an i om which thecover-isformed. V I I In theillustrated. embodiment of my 111-.

' vention I show a pan or='trough receiving devised'and successfullyused a feeder, the Walls of which are provided with apertures I p 4 oftheio'pening disposed ,uppermost. Pref portion2 which may be of suitablecontour and proportion and removably mounted 'u'ponthis pan or bottom 2.there is provided a top, crown or cover member3 having a lower edgeportion conforming to therim of the. pan 2 so that the twomembersmay beassembled in interengaging relation to form a closed food. chamber.

It is one of the featuresof the jgtyresent invention to provide'achicken feederj with its wall structurehaving one or more ngress orfeeding apertures as is,shownat4 which pro vides for the access by thechicks to" the formedand designeda's to prevent the chicks frornbodilyentering the food containing chamber of the feeder. To that end I haveeach of substantially egg; or pearshaped outline, the larger end of theopening being positionedldownwardly and the smaller end I Specificationof Letters Patent.

, tively CHICKEN-FEEDER.

1 Patented Jan. 7,1919.

1 Applicatiomfiled September 11, 1916. Serial No. 113,428. J

erably the area of the opening and the con tour thereof, is such astopermit the head of the food chamber. While I haveshown thechick feederin-the present illustration as of oblong form. it is understood that itmay be of any desired shape and that the openings 4; of this particularcontour may be arranged at asuitable height and position in the wall: orwalls of the feeder." 1

Preferably the trough" or pan 2 of the. feeder is of oblong form andrelatively narrow so that when 7 the cover portion. 3 is adjusted on thepan after the latter is filled with food or other material to besupplied to the chicks, there will be a minimum waste of thematerialbecause'by providing an'oblong cover. for the pan with openings inopposite sides, the chicks can reach andobtain practically all of thesubstance contained therein. Another advantage of pro' viding 'an oblongand I relatively narrow prevent the chicks from climbing-into:

feeder is that it'occupies but small floor area and maybe moreeificientlydisposed'in the breeder house, in anadvantageous way notpossible with a circular feeder. Q .1 An important-feature ofthe presentin-I ventionresides in the structure of the hood or crown 3 andinthe-present instance the hood 3 is formed]. from an integralpiece offlatstock preferably metal of blank form, shown in Fig.4. The cover 3 isformed up from the blank 5 whichhas ageneral rectangular' portionadapted to be folded centrally along the line 6 to the desired angle toform a ridge or hipped crown; Themarginal edge portions of the blank 5are foldable downwardly along the dotted lines 88 to form flanges 99 ata suitable angle to the inclined central portions 10 10, the relativeangularity of these latter portions being readily varied byspringingalong the line 6 6 so that. the flanges 9'9 may be snugly and yieldablypressed into frictional holding 'engageme'ntfwith the vertical walls an2. The marginal flanges 9-.9

of the I V are pre erably of a depth substantially equal tothe heightof-the wall of the pan 2'and the lines of fold 88 produce shoulders atopposite sides of the cover, -3ffrom which the top..p0rtions, 1010incline upwardly and converge to the ridgellne' 6; the ingress plan of;each'of opening 4 being disposed intermediately between the ridge line 6and the shoulders 8,- Fig. 3, so as to provide for the easy access ofthe chicks to the food in the feeder. When the removable crown or cover3 is bent along.

the-ridge lined with. its legs or fianges 9 projected down into the pan2 the triangular end openings between the portions 10-10 are adapted tobe covered by a pair ofsubstantially triangular shaped shields llj, onepair at each end'of the body "portion 5, these shields being foldable atright angles to the of their respective portions 10-10 along a fold line12, Fig. 4. The end covering flaps or is folded along the ridge line 6,the shields 11. of one pair will slide into, overlapping relation andthus. effectually close, the open-' ment and thus form a substantiallycomcontaining liquid, plastic,

, of, the. covers plete end wallzfor the cover.

romt have provided a chicken feeder having a relatively shallow oblongthe pan adapted to be covered by a removable cover or top 3 which isfoldable into a substantially arch shaped cross section and havingrelatively yielding or springing man. ginal edges adapted to thecorresponding upstanding walls of the pan or trough 2 the top beingprovided with a series of opposite ingress openings through which thechicks may have access to the food in the food chamber container is keptin stock or packed for shipment the yielding sides of the cover 3 may besprung apart to permit of a large number upon and withintheother,jto-o.ccupy a small volume of space and at the same time bevsubstantially protected against accident) or injury and may be readilyassembled when unpacked upon the respective pan or trough which may.h'appenjto'be' selected from the lot for ass'embly; The relativelyyielding or springing sides of the cover portionj3 per-j mit the properfrictional binding engagement of the'cover with its pan 2j'so, as toeliminate any lost movement between these parts andthus prevent theaccidental separation of these parts. By providing the emptiedpreferably disposed in alternate positions other on theopposite sides ofthe shields 11 are preferably of an" area sufficiently large so thatwhen the cover;

shields will .come substantially into aline foregoing .it will seen thattrough or pan for, dry or other food,;

engage slidingly with V the line offold of the, shield to; bringFurther, when the? to be nested compactly one.

overlapping end shields 11 and leaving these -ment upon the pan 2.

In order that the pan maybe entirely by the chicks, the feeding holesare to each top as'clearly shown in 4. This also prevents interferencebetweenchicks at op-f posite sides of the feeder.

By making the top of angular and ridge-shape it preventsthe-chicks fromroosting on top andthus" fouling the feed and makes a perfectly sani-'tary feeder.

Varlons modifications from the structure 7 I herein diselosed'm-ayobviously be resorted to, withinthe scope'of-the appendedchair-11s.-

What I "therefore claii'n and" desire to secure-by LettersPatent is:

V 1. In combination-with an oblong rela tively narrow container, aone-piece cover therefor formed from a' general-l yrectangw larblank-,jsaid blank folded centrally *to' provide opposed upwardlyconverging sidewalls leaving triangular endopenings and said side Walls bentlongitudinally near their lower edges to provide; depending flangesadapted to yieldingly" engage the' ide walls ofthe container,closures'forflsaid end openings pair the blank adapted to be folded Patright anglesto the, plane of.the side Wallsinto overlapping coveringrelation to the ends of the cover, the angular edge of each shielddiverging from the'median-fo1d&1i ne of the blank andbeingcut atiits'opposite corner on a line intersecting' the'line' of fold of theshield, and the outer edge of each shield being cut at-such. an angleto:

of the cover comprising a,

chamber, an open ended cover therefor;

mprlsing convergin id a s g. feed opening t-herein g d appair Shields ateach end of the coveradapt d t g iblded.

at right angles to'the plane of the'side'.

walls into overlapping oovering relation to the open" endsj of the"cover member,[the. outeredge of each shieldbeing. cut 7 at'fsuclr anangle to theline of'foldflof the-sh" ld of triangular shields at eachendof 3 as to bring said outer edgesfrto substant al alinement' When. a.cooperating painbi shields is bent into closing position. 1 V

A cover for ajfeed trough consisting of a member folded 'to provide,Converging open ended walls,s'aid walls having feedv opening therein,and a pair of-foldable Closures for said open ends, the outer edges" ofsaid closures being out at such an angle as to bring said edges intosubstantial alinement When a cooperating pair of closures is bent intoclosing position.

- 4. A cover for a feed trough, consisting of a medially-foldedarch-shaped openended member having feed openings, and closures for theends of said member, each comprising a pair of relatively movablesubstantially triangular shields adapted to be folded into overlappingcovering relation to the open ends of said member, the

angular edges of said shields diverging symmetrically from the medianfold line of the cover and being cut at their op osite 15 corners onlines intersecting the lines 0 fold of the shields at acute angles.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

GEORGE B. RAWLINGS, M. F. WEISS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Wuhinzton, D. G.

